McCain's Dukakis Moment

It just gets worse and worse for the Senator from Arizona:

A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad’s central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans’ conclusions.

“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!”

The delegation arrived at the market, which is called Shorja, on Sunday with more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead, a senior American military official in Baghdad said. The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit.

“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media.”

He added, “This will not change anything.”

Now THAT'S some winning of hearts and minds!

It's so interesting to me how the major Republican candidates, in order to win the nomination, are having to resort to Bush's old tricks to satisfy the increasingly radical Republican base. In McCain's case, it's the stupid staged photo-ops (is he going to fly into Baghdad on Easter with a fake chocolate bunny next?) and the insistence on blaming the media for failing to report all the good news. The bulk of the American people have had it with these tactics, and yet they're paradoxically the way to the nomination. It's cringe-worthy.

Meanwhile, there's more news about how McCain wanted to sell out his own party, news from which he cannot recover IMO:

Jonathan Singer: There's a story in The Hill, I think on Tuesday, by Bob Cusack on the front page of the paper talking about how John McCain's people -- John Weaver -- had approached Tom Daschle and a New York Congressman, I don't remember his name, about switching parties. And I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about what your discussions were with him in 2004, how far it went, who approached whom... if there was any "there" there.

John Kerry: I don't know all the details of it. I know that Tom, from a conversation with him, was in conversation with a number of Republicans back then. It doesn't surprise me completely because his people similarly approached me to engage in a discussion about his potentially being on the ticket as Vice President. So his people were active -- let's put it that way.

Singer: Okay. And just to confirm, you said it, but this is something they approached you rather than...

Kerry: Absolutely correct. John Weaver of his shop... [JK aswers phone]

Seriously, he should run for Prime Minister of Iraq at this point. It's useless for him to even come back to this country. The man has managed to alienate everyone who pays even the least amount of attention to politics in America.